Tag: Jim Boylen

Much of the player feedback the duo …

Much of the player feedback the duo received about Boylen during the hiatus raises questions about his long-term fit. However, Karnisovas is known as a deliberate, thoughtful decision-maker who has worked to empower Boylen for now. For instance, in a sign of Karnisovas’ leadership style, he has communicated to Boylen to focus strictly on coaching and working with his staff and players, sources said. Too often last season, Boylen got wrapped up in dealing with player agents or honoring commitments on the business operations side, which sidetracked his focus.

When asked about his lack of …

When asked about his lack of involvement in the offense this season, Markkanen told Seppänen “I had 80 touches per game the past two seasons, this season the touches dropped to 40. Don’t get me wrong, I had some plays drawn with me in mind, but it’s just different. When I spoke with Jim [Boylen], we talked about how I should concentrate on getting rebounds and then leading the fast break. But it’s just really hard getting 40 defensive rebounds.”

The Sun-Times has reported that …

The Sun-Times has reported that Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have already had detailed discussions with players and retained personnel, and were getting enough mixed feedback of what’s gone on the last year that they were leaning toward starting with a new coach of their choosing. Ownership and former VP of basketball operations John Paxson have given support for Boylen, but a source reiterated that COO Michael Reinsdorf was by no means influencing the front office’s decision on the coach and would allow Boylen’s dismissal if Karnisovas wants to go that way. No questions asked.

While it was Boylen’s call to not …

While it was Boylen’s call to not retain assistant coach/player development coach Shawn Respert when his contract is up at the end of the season, it was made obvious to the Sun-Times weeks ago that Respert was looking for a new career path long before this campaign was shut down due to the coronavirus. Respert had long hinted at wanting to be a head coach at either the college or pro level, and didn’t really see that path with his current role on the Bulls staff.

There was some frustration in that for …

There was some frustration in that for Respert, who felt like his ideas and philosophies weren’t always heard, despite several players building tight relationships with him and appreciating his knowledge of the game. The bigger picture, however, is Boylen is still operating as the head coach and making decisions like a guy that has no plans to be leaving that post anytime soon.

Why would the Bulls blow up the front …

Why would the Bulls blow up the front office, get their guy, let him reshape everything and then make it known they want to keep a coach who isn’t well-liked by players and hasn’t been successful? – Red J., via Twitter. They didn’t. Arturas Karnisovas runs basketball operations and has full authority to make basketball-related decisions. This was made abundantly clear during the interview process. All Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf did was explain the positive attributes he and former executive vice president John Paxson saw when they hired and extended Boylen and asked Karnisovas to get to know him before making a decision on Boylen’s future. From Karnisovas’ reputation around the league as a thoughtful, substantive decision-maker, it sounds like he would have done this anyway. But make no mistake: Boylen’s future will be Karnisovas’ call.

They’ve told Boylen to focus on …

They’ve told Boylen to focus on coaching the team while they work to evaluate all departments, including him and his staff. Along those lines, Boylen is talking to players and his staff, and watching film. If there’s a resumption of the 2019-20 season for all 30 teams, I think it’s more likely than not he coaches those games. Beyond that, I haven’t seen any belief or reporting, including mine, that suggests Boylen will be the long-term answer for this regime. It’s not exactly going out on a limb to say that most executives want their own coaches in place. Heck, John Paxson fired his former teammate in Bill Cartwright to bring in Scott Skiles less than six months after succeeding Jerry Krause.

When Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were …

When Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were hired, both executives made a point of saying they’d evaluate every department and that they’d work to make the Bulls a players-first organization. Given that players occasionally questioned their usages and the offensive and defensive systems last season, their feedback on Boylen won’t be all positive. Nobody doubts Boylen’s care factor, which Karnisovas has publicly acknowledged. But when there’s clarity on the NBA calendar, and the offseason and start date for 2020-21, there will be more clarity on Boylen.